Allowing people to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) medications at local drugstores provides the U.S. healthcare system $102 billion in profits annually, and each dollar spent on OTCs saves $6 to $7 for the healthcare system, according to a white paper released Jan. 31 by Consumer Healthcare Products Association. Without OTCs, an additional 56,000 medical practitioners would be needed to assist with the increase in office visits, which would not bode well for the current physician shortage.

STEMI patients treated with bivalirudin therapy during PCI had better inpatient outcomes and lower overall in-hospital costs than patients treated with heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibition (GPI), according to a retrospective cohort study published online Jan. 10 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Results from this real world study confirm findings in clinical trials and show use of bivalirudin therapy may provide savings of $1,300 per admission, the authors wrote.

In order to provide quality cardiovascular care and continue to make headway in improving outcomes, it is necessary to develop middle-ground policy positions related to the future design of more sustainable Medicare and Medicaid programs.

With more than 26 million Americans suffering from diabetes and 79 million at risk for developing the comorbidity, working to thwart the disease and its associated costs should take center stage in preventive medicine. However, can disease prevention programs, which are often time-consuming and costly, make a dent in the epidemic? Research published in the January issue of Health Affairs showed that a community-based lifestyle intervention program could prevent nearly 885,000 cases of type 2 diabetes and save $5.7 billion over the next 25 years.

Allowing physicians to choose a stress test modality for lower-risk patients presenting at an emergency department with chest pain was more cost-effective than mandating a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) stress test, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. In an observation unit (OU), provider choice care resulted in similar results as CMR-mandated care, with a lower price tag.

Because a large proportion of patients affected by atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter are older when they are hospitalized, the Medicare system takes a big financial hit. Implementing measures to lower readmission rates could help lessen the blow to the Medicare system and reduce the high cost burden associated with treating these AF and atrial flutter patients, according to a study published online first  Nov. 28 in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Medicare patients who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for an initial diagnostic evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were more likely to undergo subsequent invasive procedures and accrue more costs than patients given stress tests, researchers reported in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A more multidisciplinary and team-based approach in research and clinical settings. More use of registries and EMRs. More trends showing healthier patients. And above all others, more of a push to find value and cost savings in a changing reimbursement environment. Those are the take-home messages for the cardiovascular community from leaders in research, practice, government and business as they share their perspectives on 2012s challenges and opportunities.